Indiana’s non-conference slate already looked unforgiving, and Missouri just made it tougher.
The Hoosiers are set to meet the Tigers on December 18 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, part of an 11th game that lands in a stretch loaded with high-major tests. Indiana’s 2026 non-conference schedule includes five games against high-major opponents, and four of those came against NCAA Tournament teams from last season.
Now add Mark Mitchell back into the picture, and that matchup carries even more weight.
On Monday, Mitchell announced he is returning to Missouri for his fifth year of eligibility. That comes after he committed to Kentucky through the transfer portal last weekend, only to have a legal fight with the SEC push him back toward Columbia.
The 6'8" forward had received a temporary restraining order earlier this month from a Kentucky judge, which allowed him to play a fifth college season. He then entered the portal and chose Kentucky, but the SEC does not allow intraconference transfers outside the regular April window, and that led Mitchell to head back to Missouri.
It’s the latest twist in a messy eligibility picture that has turned the run-up to the 2026-27 season into a string of courtroom drama and confusion. For now, the one thing that’s clear is that Missouri got its star back.
And that’s a problem for Indiana.
Mitchell was one of the SEC’s top players last season, and his numbers back that up. He played in all 33 games for Missouri, putting up 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while earning Second Team All-SEC honors. It was a breakout year, and he now looks set to be one of the conference’s best again in 2026-27.
That makes Missouri a dangerous assignment for Darian DeVries and the Hoosiers. Dennis Gates is entering his fifth season in Columbia, and Missouri has reached the NCAA Tournament in three of his first four years. This version of the Tigers may be his most talented yet.
The roster has plenty of firepower around Mitchell. Five-star freshman Jason Crowe Jr. is projected to be in the starting five, and he arrives as one of the top prospects in the 2026 recruiting class.
Top-45 transfers Jamier Jones and Bryson Tiller, who came over from Providence and Kansas, are expected to make an immediate impact. Trent Pierce is back too after averaging 10.4 points per game and shooting 38.4% from three last season.
Missouri was already viewed as a strong team, landing at No. 18 in ESPN’s way-too-early Top-25 rankings for the upcoming season. That was before Mitchell returned. With him back in the fold, the Tigers could be looking like a Top-10 group by the time Indiana sees them.
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The real intrigue now is how the rest of the targets shake out around that top tier. Tyler Morris, Davion Chandler, Lebron Bond and Shazz Preston are all positioned for larger roles, while the tight end spot remains unsettled with unproven options. Turbo Richard could also become a bigger part of the passing attack, which only adds another layer to a receiver competition that should stay worth watching all offseason. [Read more 🡒]